Plaza Tower (closed) (New Orleans, Louisiana) | office building, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places

 office building, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places

Plaza Tower is a vacant 45 story building. Construction began in 1964, but halted in October 1966. The property was bought out and construction resumed in 1968. Upon completion later that year, the Plaza Tower became the tallest building in New Orleans and Louisiana, a record it held for four years. The Plaza Tower marked the beginning of modern high-rises in New Orleans.

The Plaza Tower was originally designed primarily as an office building with some residential space on the upper floors. Originally the developers intended to develop a large area around the base of the building and make it a park-like area (hence the name "plaza" tower).

In 2001, tenants began to publicly criticize the building's owners for ignoring worsening conditions in the building. Claims were made that a lack of proper maintenance had led to exposure to asbestos and toxic mold. Several class action lawsuits were filed by workers against the owners and managers and their own employers, the Louisiana Department of Social Services and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. In 2002 approximately 700 Louisiana state and New Orleans District Attorney's Office employees relocated en masse to offices elsewhere. Since that time, the building has sat sealed off and unused.